Know Everything About Immunosuppressants (Part 2)
In the previous section, we explored some of the essential details about the immunosuppressant drugs.
They were:
- What are immunosuppressants?
- What is the use of immunosuppressants?
- What are the types of immunosuppressants
- What is the route of administration?
- What should you do if you miss the dose?
Let’s excavate a few more details about them so that you get to know necessary insightful knowledge about the use of these drugs.So, here we go.
What are the side effects of immunosuppressant drugs?
The side effects of immunosuppressant drugs depend on the route of administration.
As your doctor is the ultimate decider of your route and dosage, the intravenous route might pose the maximum side-adversaries.
In other paths of medication such as oral or sublingual, the bioavailability of the drug reduces in the bloodstream, and so does its affirming effect and adverse effect at the same time.
The patients on immunosuppressants have complained of infection as the most notable side-effect.
Other non-serious or less-serious corollary adversaries could lead to weight gain and loss of appetite, vomiting, dense hair population, nausea, and trembling body.
These side-effects exist because that’s when the body adjusts to the immunosuppressant drugs.
As the immune system diminishes, the body is highly prone to developing skin-related cancer and infection. [1] [2]
Other side effects include:
You need to confer with the doctor under the following conditions.
- The unexpected tiredness for a long duration
- High-fever beyond 100 degrees or feeling cold
- The burning sensation during urination/frequent urination
- The constant coughing which doesn’t go away
Despite all the mentioned side-effects of the immunosuppressants, the organ transplant has been a successful surgery, and a lot of people have seen an improved quality in life.
Does everyone has to take immunosuppressive drugs after organ transplant?
Our immune system is coded to attack any foreign organ, tissue, and germs.
If you have got your organ transplanted, you have no choice other than to rely on immunosuppressive drugs.
If you don’t comply with the prescribed schedule, your body might start mistreating the organ until it rejects it entirely.
The only way by which you can prevent organ rejection is by taking immunosuppressants.
It’s your responsibility to take medicine as long as your prescription is not called off from your doctor or physician.
What should you do remember the dose?
As an organ transplant invites the administration of potpourri of drugs in a single day, you are likely to forget the dose.
To remember the drug dosage, you can follow the following schema.
Learn about the drugs: Take a little time to learn about all the prescribed immunosuppressant drugs. When you understand the basic working of your medications, you wouldn’t goof-up while taking them. Get to know about their names, components, and use. It’s a good practice to get familiarized with your drugs.
Use pill box: Pillbox is the best way to organize your drug schedule. Pill boxes have compartmentalized spaces for each day in the week. You have to place your drugs before the start, and with each passing day, you just have to take them without having to challenge your memory.
Train your muscle memory: When you regularly take the medicines at the same time for each day, you are actually training your muscle memory. With frequent practice, your instinct would remind you about it. Also, ingest them in a fixed order. It ensures that you don’t forget any medicine.
Are there contraindications for immunosuppressants?
Yes, the efficacy of immunosuppressive drug dips down when you are taking anti-seizure medicines, anti-TB (tuberculosis) medicines, erythromycin, blood pressure medicines, etc.
The active chemicals of the drugs might cross-react with each other to result in something unwanted.
Hence, it’s recommended to brief about your medical history to your doctor.
